Saturday, April 15, 2017

The File Clerk

“Mr. Roth is the caretaker of The Times’s “morgue,” a vast and eclectic archive that houses the paper’s historical news clippings and photographic prints . . . “
From The NYTimes



Once upon a time the mighty file clerk ruled supreme
In his dusty archives where the light could hardly gleam.
With visor and green lampshade, a stepladder by his side,
He labored alphabetically his arcana to divide.
Noble yet ridiculous, ignored except when needed,
He lurked among steel cabinets -- his chalky voice unheeded.
No company or newspaper could do without his skill;
Without his guidance, research work would come to a standstill.
But like the horse and buggy he is now quite obsolete --
His vast array of data in the Cloud will now accrete.
A relic and a vagabond, the file clerk joins the ranks
Of circus clowns and pinsetters who now are merely blanks.



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